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Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival 2017 Review

So I went along to the Cherry Blossom Festival held at the Auburn Botanic Gardens last weekend. I love going to this event and every year, it’s always on my must-do list. Since this event is only open over a two week period, it can get a little busy. This year, we did things a little differently this time and decided to beat the rush to get there at opening time. This meant we got the chance to snap the blossoms before the lunch rush.

Hanami (flower viewing) is the Japanese tradition of welcoming Spring. This annual celebration is about appreciating the temporal beauty of nature by gathering under the sakura (cherry blossoms).

There’s just something about cherry blossoms isn’t there? In the non-stop world we live in, it’s so refreshing to be able to unplug and just soak up the magic of these whimsical tiny flowers.

I must say, in comparison to my last visit, this year’s crowd control was excellent. The one way in, one way out method had visitors passing through, enjoying the sights and taking their scenic selfies without the feeling of being in a mosh pit.

After viewing the cherry blossoms, we slowed down the pace to enjoy the beautiful sights of the Japanese gardens. It goes without saying these gardens are just breathtaking. I haven’t been to Japan yet, but it’s really lovely to have our own little bit of Japan right in our backyard. I enjoyed seeing so many families come along dressed in their Sunday bests to take some beautiful pics for their family albums.

The other thing I love about these gardens is spotting the peacocks. These have to be the most ostentatious birds of them all.

The weekend schedule was jam-packed. Visitors could take a self-guided tour of the cherry blossom trail, feast on some tasty Japanese snacks from the Food Village, head to the Izakaya Bar to sample some sake or watch a sumo wrestling demonstration at the Sumo Stadium.

We enjoyed the sumo wrestling. The demonstration included the referee explaining the rules of the sport as well as sharing some of the in game rituals. The demonstration was very family friendly and they even got the little ones to participate and take on the wrestlers. Needless to say, it’s pretty obvious who won the sparring session.

Heading across the road to the Peacock gallery, visitors could enjoy some craft in the sun and try their hand at floral headwear and costume making and attend the origami workshop. We also enjoyed some really cool traditional Japanese drumming. Talk about getting a good workout!

To our surprise, MasterChef’s Adam Liaw was there promoting the ‘Love Your Leftovers’ program. Adam showed the audience how to make better use of their leftovers and showed how easy it is to make your own homemade beef stock. Turns out it’s really easy…

Hopefully, the next time you visit the gardens, you get a chance to spot Gary the show-off peacock as you’re leaving the gardens (not his actual name, but a name I gave him because I think he kinda looked like a Gary) He just loves the cameras…